One man breaks his leg above the knee, another suffers a head injury in heavy weather

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A yacht in the Clipper Round the World race fell victim to heavy weather off the coast of Taiwan Saturday, with injuries to two crew members.

Tim Burgess, 31, an Australian, broke his leg above the knee and Nick Woodward, 55, from the U.K., sustained a head injury when he was thrown across the crew accommodation.

Both were on the leading yacht, Gold Coast Australia, at the time.

Several attempts were made by a Taiwan coast guard helicopter and a coast guard vessel to take the two men off the yacht, but these failed because of the bad weather.

"Unfortunately the helicopter could not effect a successful rescue and so a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel was dispatched," yacht skipper Richard Hewson said via satellite phone to the Clipper Race Office in Gosport, U.K., according to an emailed statement sent to breakingnews.com.

"After attempting to come alongside the Coast Guard vessel I made the decision that the transfer would be too dangerous due to the wind, swell and sea state," he added.

The casualties were transfered to a launch outside Keelung Port, near Taiwan, then taken to hospital by ambulance.